In The News

Police in NY arrest Ed Leary - a badly burned unemployed computer consultant and charged him with carrying the firebomb that exploded aboard a New York subway train. From his hospital bed – Leary said he didn’t do it. “I’m not a mad bomber. How can they say that? They said I did that.”

A bizarre series of attacks and incidents around the White House continues when two men are arrested before dawn, one carrying a semiautomatic handgun and another claiming he had a plutonium bomb in his car. A third man was arrested after he slipped onto the White House grounds when a gate was opened briefly.

President Clinton does his Christmas shopping at a mall in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood.

The Clintons go to church and gather at the White House for Christmas.

Washington DC falls off the murder capital of the world list – this year – that goes to New Orleans then Richmond Virginia – then DC.

House Speaker Newt Gingrich lands an estimated $4 million book contact from HarperCollins.

CIA director R. James Woolsey resigns abruptly. He had been under fire for his handling of the Aldrich Ames spy case.

Bill Clinton says he will run for a second term.

Senate Majority Leader Bob dDle (R-Kan.) warns that rep. Newt Gingrich’s reported $4 million book deal “does raise some questions” that could dog Republicans at a time when they are slashing programs that help the poor.

French police commandos storm a hijacked air France jet in Marseilles and kill four Muslim extremists who killed three passengers and held 170 hostage.

North Korea releases an American helicopter pilot shot down recently.

Two women are dead and five injured in identical shooting sprees at two abortion clinics near Boston.

Medical/AIDS Update – December 23, 1994

The FDA approves the first AIDS test that uses saliva instead of blood to determine whether a person has been infected by the virus.

New Indiana Jones Ride At Disneyland – December 23, 1994

Sneak Peak – Look out for the new Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland – scheduled to open March 3. It’s the third joint project produced in conjunction with George Lucas.

Celebrity news – December 23, 1994

Dies - Mark Foo, a well-known pro surfer and television personality fro Hawaii crashes while riding a large wave at Half Moon Bay (Ca.) Witnesses told investigators that Foo was riding a large wave when he lost control and the wave crashed onto him, breaking his board in three pieces and one of those hit him in the head and he went under. He and an associate produced “H3O,” a surfing show for cable TV.

Technology news – December 23, 1994

Sports news – December 23, 1994

New England Patriots coach Bill Parcells is voted Coach of the Year by AP.

Music news – December 23, 1994

A Rome court bans Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” album because it contains a plagiarized song – “Will You Be There?” The real song – by Italian singer Al Bano is called “I Cigni di Balaka.”

More Trouble - Rapper Tupac Shakur, who is recovering from gunshot wounds suffered in a holdup, is locked up at New York’s Bellevue Hospital after failing to come up with $3 million in bail money ordered by the state court. Shakur and his road manager were found guilty of sexually abusing a 21-year-old female fan in his hotel suite back in 1993.